Another bad sign for clothier-to-the-elite Wilkes Bashford: His eponymous company is being sued for $391,000 after allegedly failing to pay for shipments of suits, cardigans and stoles.

The lawsuit comes after the clothing company laid off 18 of 97 employees last month because of slumping sales, as our colleagues Matier & Ross reported.

The Sutter Street institution counts former Mayor Willie Brownas one of its best customers. Brown joked in his Feb. 8 Chronicle column that $1.9 million "would just about cover my tab at Wilkes Bashford."

He may need to pay up soon, if he hasn't already. The lawsuit filed by supplier Milberg Factors Inc. contends Wilkes Bashford has not paid $240,000 for a shipment of Zegna suits, jackets, pants and shirts. The company didn't pay for $151,000 worth of Agnona clothing, according to the lawsuit.

When asked about the lawsuit, a manager at the store said, "I know nothing about that."

Milberg Factors attorney Joel Adler(who also happens to own a Brioni suit from Wilkes Bashford) said multiple attempts had been made to collect before resorting to a lawsuit.

More, please: Six city supervisors, business execs, labor leaders and various city officials were running around Washington, D.C., on Monday during the Chamber of Commerce-led trip aimed at luring more federal dollars our way.

"Everyone around the country is coming to D.C. with their hat in hand, asking for stimulus dollars," said Board of Supervisors PresidentDavid Chiu. "It's important for us to be out here competing. ... It's easy to be forgotten when you are on the other side of the country."

Groups from other California cities are also in the nation's capital this week to make their case. Today members of the San Francisco group will meet with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Sens. Dianne Feinsteinand Barbara Boxer.

Chiu and fellow Supervisor Bevan Duftywill also appear at a news conference with Southern California officials, including Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. (Villaraigosa is seen as a possible 2010 gubernatorial contender along with our mayor.)

For his part, Gavin Newsomdidn't take this trip, but said several of his top advisers were there. He also pointed out that he's already been to the nation's capital this year to lobby for stimulus cash.

- Marisa Lagos

Clean bill of health: The city's universal health care program withstood a legal challenge by restaurant owners on Monday, setting up a possible showdown before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Under the Healthy San Francisco program, businesses with 20 workers or more must offer health coverage either by signing up for private insurance, paying the city for coverage at a network of city and private facilities or setting up health care accounts.

The spending requirement mandates that businesses with 20 to 99 workers spend $1.17 per worker per hour on either health care or payments to the city. Bigger companies must pay $1.76 per hour.

The plan's overall cost is estimated at $170 million a year. Employers have contributed about $35 million since January 2008, said program director Tangerine Brigham.